


I'd give you all of me, If you let me

by blushingprince



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fluff, Hurt, M/M, Magic, Mutual Pining, Pining, Unrequited Love, mutual unrequited love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:36:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8423881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blushingprince/pseuds/blushingprince
Summary: Brynhildr is a little more special than Niles thought





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gongji](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gongji/gifts).



Leo was a lonely boy. Hiding in the dusty book stacks, forgetting himself in the words he read, he clung to the little things. There was the shadow of his siblings, yes, but he tried to ignore that.

 

Friends? What was that?

 

His siblings urged him to choose retainers but he’d rather be alone. Magic, books, the sky. It was an endless repeat of sitting by the candlelight and hating himself but not knowing how to change. A small blonde boy growing up from five years old to eleven to older. Maybe fearsome clothing would make him stronger?

 

And then, he was gifted Brynhildr. 

 

Was this a testament to his own skills? That he was not just something in the way of Camilla and Xander? This was true power. Running his hands along the purple cover, it was an odd sensation arising in him. This he would treasure. This was the first sign of his recognition, the first sign of him becoming powerful. Maybe Father would hate him just a bit less like this.

 

Time drifted slowly and Leo never let his tome out of his sight. It became his first friend in a way - almost an extension of his arm. He could crush entire armies with this book. This raw power, this was everything he sought. He would never let it go, even for a moment.

 

There was an incident in the castle. Somehow, Leo ended up meeting a thief with one eye. 

He paced his quarters over and over that night.  _ Why did I save him? I don’t need anyone! _

 

Niles did not smile. The single eye that he had showed coldness and that he’d seen the horrors of the world. Leo offered him tea and spoke to him like any normal person. 

 

_ I suppose, now that I’ve uprooted his life….I should offer him something, right? _

 

“Are you in need of a job, Niles?” Leo threw around as casually as he could.

 

The man looked up, surprised, as if someone had the gall to care about him.

 

“You see I um…...Well I’m supposed to have retainers but I’ve never actually hired anyone,”

 

To this, Niles burst into laughter.

 

“And hire me? A man off the streets? What if I tried to kill you?”

 

Leo smirked. “Well, that wouldn’t be a problem. You’d be dead before then,”

 

The thief cocked his eyebrow. “Confident, eh? Well, I’m not the man for the job,”

 

The blonde waved his hand around. “Alright, but just stay in the castle for now,”

 

_____________

  
  


Time passed in Krakenburg. Leo, sifting through his dusty books alone, like usual. After some time, Niles was there to go find him and make sure he was alive. 

Without a doubt, Brynhildr was always in his arms.

 

The seasons folded into years and Odin joined the party, brightening things up.  

 

_______________

 

The first one to ask was Elise.

 

“Hey Leo, can I see Brynhildr?”

 

“What???”

 

“C’mon, I just want to borrow it,”

 

Leo laughed a low, creepy giggle. 

 

“Absolutely not,”

 

“Why not?” She demanded.

 

“I can’t even imagine how you’ll misuse or damage it,”

 

“But isn’t it indestructible?”

 

“What if you…...spilled milk on it? You would do that!”

 

“Leo, you big meanie!”

 

News of the conversation caught wind in the castle and soon others capable of using tomes were asking Leo permission to touch or inspect his precious friend.

 

He was panicking.

 

Then there was Odin.

 

“Milord! My humble self wishes to see the awesome power which you display on a constant basis! Please, allow me, your servant, to get a glance!”

 

“No,”

 

He walked away as swiftly as possible. 

 

Camilla found him in the library.

 

“My dearest Leo, can you not let me see Brynhildr? I’m so curious,”

 

Uhhhh…….

 

“But Camilla, it’s very precious to me, and I absolutely don’t want to let anyone else touch it,”

 

“That’s not good. You need to learn to share,”

 

“Sister, I know you are able to use tomes but Brynhildr is a tome only I can use. So what’s the point?”

 

“Well…..”

 

Before she could answer he was out the door.

 

Leo fled. His life was in danger. Well…..his tome. He veered into a storehouse on the outskirts of the castle terrain. Surely he should stay here until this frenzy was over. 

 

He laid down on the matted floor (not quite exquisite enough for him) and fell asleep.

 

_________

 

Niles had heard what was going on but found it hilarious. To see his lord in panic was so enjoyable! Oh well, he had some things to put away. He heard that Lord Leo had disappeared while speaking with Lady Camilla, which worried him, but he trusted his Lord could take care of himself. Off to the storage.

 

Except when he opened it, there was an unconscious Lord Leo. Pretty funny, considering he could take a look at the tome right now. But he would never do that. He respected Lord Leo too much. Maybe…..a bit more than that.

 

Niles closed the storage shed with himself and Lord Leo inside. His Lord shouldn’t sleep on the ground like this. He reached down and gently shook Leo. Please wake up.

 

Every time he saw Leo awake he was always beautiful. Blonde hair and his fair skin, with his fascinating eyes. 

“Niles? Where am I?”

 

“Milord, it seems like you fled here after everyone tried to look at your Brynhildr. We’re in a storage shed.”

 

“Oh, right. Does that mean you wish to look at my tome as well?”

 

He chuckled. “If you don’t wish to show me it, I don’t wish to see it,”

 

Leo sighed in relief, back falling against the shed. “Thank you,”

 

Niles smiled back at him. “But why were you so upset?”

 

Leo appeared puzzled. “I tried thinking about it. Brynhildr is pretty much my most important possession. It’s almost like an extension of me. I wouldn’t let someone handle it unless I trusted them absolutely,”

 

“Ah, I see. Well I hope you find a person like that,” 

 

“I think…….I already know someone….”

 

Niles stared, wide-eyed. Leo looked flustered and awkward, sitting there clinging to his tome. Was that a blush? He was almost jealous…...Who was it directed towards? He knew he would never be the object of Lord Leo’s affections but…..this prickled his skin.

 

“Oh, Lord Leo, who might this be? Some lucky lady out there?”

 

Leo didn’t respond. Niles felt himself getting more and more irritated. 

 

_ You are trash and dirt. You have no reason to have a place in his heart.  _

 

“Niles?”

 

“Yes, milord?”

 

“Well um…...Maybe you’ll laugh at me but…..the person I trust the most is you.”

 

Time stopped in Niles’ heart.  _ He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love you. You’re just a retainer. _

 

Niles reached out a hand and grasped Leo’s. “Milord, my life is yours,”

 

Leo smiled back at him. “But my life is yours, too,”

 

_ Does he realize what he just said? _

“Do you want to…..see Brynhildr?”

 

Niles could only nod and smile.

 

They sat cross-legged from each other. Leo opened his tome. Countless magical words swirled around in ancient ink. He made sure Niles could see. Leo began to read and tree branches sprouted from the ground all around them. Lustrous leaves adorned the wood. Niles reached out to touch. This was Leo’s magic. It was beautiful. 

 

“Here,”

 

The retainer looked up to see the book being thrust in his face. “You can look,”

 

Niles could barely breathe. He took the tome without question and looked at the words he could never decipher. Leo, standing on the other side, began to chant again. More branches sprouted. 

 

Niles had never realized how amazing this magic was up close. 

 

It was Leo’s expression of love. 

 

Niles looked up to Leo so close to him, his breathing, the small beads of sweat on his face, his eyelashes, his lips.

 

It was hard to breathe.

 

Would he live forever like this? Hiding his love of his Lord and sitting in the shadows? Taking another look at Leo, he realized - he could do anything for this man. 

 

Leo looked up from Brynhildr and smiled at him. It was so sweet and pure he could almost cry. 

  
  


_ Lord Leo, do you know I love you? _

 

_ I would go to the ends of the Earth for you _

_ You gave me my life _

_ So I’ll spend the rest of it serving you _

_ There’s nothing more beautiful  _

_ Than your smile  _

**Author's Note:**

> I hope my giftee likes this!!  
> I imagine that in canon niles and leo had some sort of unrequited romance and leo was   
> forced into a political marriage....... :(  
> anyways catch me on twitter @_blushingprince so I can turn out leoniles fanfic at the speed of sound


End file.
